Sperone Westwater is pleased to present Radiant Spectrum, Amy Lincoln’s new series of 12 paintings, her second solo show at the gallery. These large-scale seascapes and landscapes reference atmospheric elements—air, water, light and clouds—and engage concepts of light reflection and refraction. Working in a more expansive format, Lincoln continues her exploration of the cosmos.
Lincoln covers each of her wood panels with acrylic paint in gradations of colors from light to dark to develop a precise perspective and imply the illusion of space. Sun and Moon Spectrum, the centerpiece of the exhibition, measures over 11 feet wide, her largest seascape to date. “This painting moves sequentially through the colors of rainbow, starting at yellow, then to orange, red, magenta, purple and blue,” says Lincoln. “Bands of color progress from and divide the two glowing orbs of sun and moon, shifting from light to dark and back to light again, while also moving from warm to cool colors.” The visual conceit of moving through a color spectrum references Ellsworth Kelly’s work, a nod to the minimal abstraction that has influenced her recent practice.
In this new series, Lincoln also utilizes as subject matter botanical and forest imagery (for example, Radiant Sun with Trees (Yellow, Pink, Green), 2022). Like the waves in the seascape paintings, the fir and gingko trees repeated throughout the foreground and background serve to enhance depth and perspective. “This creates an overall simplicity and focus on color, pattern and space,” says Lincoln. “I also didn’t want to be too dependent on the seascape imagery as a formula. I wanted to apply the inventive approach to color I had learned in making the seascapes to a different set of imagery.”
